GUNTUR: One of the many ways in which fans shower love on their favourite film stars is by building temples for them. This practice of worshipping stars, most prevalent in Tamil Nadu, where ardent followers have built temples dedicated to Khushbu, Nidhhi Agerwal and Hansika, has found its way to Andhra Pradesh.
Tenali Sandeep, a resident of Bapatla, has built a temple to honour Samantha Ruth Prabhu, who was recently seen in the mythological drama Shaankuntalam. He has built the temple near his house in Alapadu village and is set to inaugurate it on Friday (April 28) to mark the star’s birthday. The statue of the actress has gone viral on social media. A car driver by profession, Sandeep even took up a pilgrimage to Tirupati, Chennai and Nagapatnam to pray for Samantha’s health after she announced that she was diagnosed with Myositis.
He said, “I have been Samantha’s fan since the start of her career, but what has inspired me is her sensibility and kindness. She has helped several families and children through Prathyusha Foundation.”
A father of two, Sandeep recalled how people did not believe him at first when he told them he wanted to build a temple for Samantha.“Later, they thought I might be crazy for wasting money like that. However, their comments had no effect on me. My family was very supportive. They never once ridiculed me or asked me to stop.” Grand arrangements have been made for the unveiling ceremony of the temple. While the news has made Sandeep quite popular, Samantha’s other fans are now eager to hear from the actress about this one-of-a-kind tribute.